Alycia Baumgardner is fighting for gender equality for women in the ring

BoxingAlycia ‘The Bomb’ Baumgardner is fighting for gender equality for women in the ringBacked by Jake Paul's promotion company, Baumgardner will box South Korea's Bo Mi Re Shin for the women’s super featherweight belt Friday at Madison Square Garden.Listen to this article with a free account00:0000:00Alycia Baumgardner walks to the ring prior to her unified super featherweight world championship against Leila Beaudoin at Kaseya Center on Dec. 19, 2025 in Miami.Ed Mulholland / Getty Images for Netflix fileShareAdd NBC News to GoogleApril 16, 2026, 6:00 AM EDTBy Rohan NadkarniWhen Alycia “The Bomb” Baumgardner steps into the ring at Madison Square Garden on Friday night, she won’t be fighting only South Korean boxer Bo Mi Re Shin for the women’s super featherweight belt. Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.It will also be another round in Baumgardner’s bout for gender equality as she pushes boxing to adopt the same rules for women’s fighters that it does for men. “As you grow as an individual and a face and a game changer in the sport like boxing, you want to see how you’re able to implement new changes, right?” Baumgardner told NBC News ahead of Friday’s showdown in New York City. “This is my chance to really showcase who I am.”A typical men’s prizefight lasts 12 rounds, with each round lasting three minutes. For women, most fights are 10 rounds, with each round lasting two minutes. Baumgardner is pushing for women to fight the same amount of time for a few reasons. For one, she said, it benefits her as a boxer.“You would think one minute doesn’t change much, but it changes drastically when you are a fighter who has a set of skills that allows you to take your time and to set up a trap,” she said. “Boxing is about a sweet science, how you can set up a play. It’s like chess. Me being able to fight three minutes has allowed me to slow everything down, set up what I want to set up and take my ti...